NMSU to Host Soil Health Workshop

NMSU to Host Soil Health Workshop Sept 22-23

With the increasing drought and climate change, soil resilience needs to be enhanced, to with- stand extreme environmental conditions and to sustain agricultural production.

Soil health assessment and manage- ment has become very important in New Mexico to help preserve soils and to rejuve- nate soils that are already degraded.

New Mexico State University Coopera- tive Extension Service will host a two-day soil health webinar from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesday and Wednesday, September 22 and 23, to address the training needs of produc- ers, agriculture support professionals, Extension educators, and other stakehold- ers in New Mexico.

“Utilizing soil health principles can build the needed soil resilience that will enable producers to remain profitable in face of weather uncertainties,” said John Idowu, NMSU Extension agronomist. “The work- shop will address fundamental aspects of soil health as well as applied soil manage- ment for cropland and rangeland.”

Resource persons from NMSU College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, U.S, Department of Agriculture Natural Resource Conservation Service, and private organizations will be present ses- sions on soil health assessment and management.

Topics to be covered the physical, chem- ical and biological soil properties in relation to soil health management. Other topics will include cover cropping, crop rotation, livestock integration into cropping systems, tillage management, organic amendments, grazing/pasture management and crop- land/rangeland assessment.

The workshop is sponsored by the Healthy Soil Program initiative coordinated by the New Mexico Department of Agriculture.

The Healthy Soil Program was enacted by the New Mexico Legislature to provide education on soil health assessment and management in New Mexico.

Registration is free for all participants. Pre-registrar at https://rsvp.nmsu.edu/rsvp/ soilhealth2 to receive the agenda and the Zoom link for the workshop. ▫